Steven Barns
by Casper947
Summary: This is the story of Steven Barns, a self-created character. He is 8 days away from turning 10 years old (the age most trainers start their journey) in the Pokémon world's Sinnoh Region, but his adventure has just started a little early... As this is a work in progress, please enjoy and tell me what you think!
1. Chapter 1 - Part 1

Chapter 1 – The Journey Begins

Steven was walking home from the city after a long day at school. The afternoon sun warmed his back on this cool Friday as he marched along the well-worn dirt path. Leaves of every shade of red, yellow and orange crunched softly underfoot, a sure sign that winter was soon to come. He breathed in the clean, crisp countryside air, enjoying the weather on this peaceful, perfect day-

"Hey!" he heard someone shout nearby, hidden by the trees of the forest that lined both sides of the path he was on. "Over here!"

"I've got them cornered!" he heard another voice shout.

He ran into the forest in the direction of the second voice, keeping low to avoid being seen. He slowed down as he approached the strangers' location. He glanced over a bush to see two men wearing backpacks and holding tranquilizer rifles in a small clearing. Beyond them, he could see a net with something trapped under it writhing and struggling to get out. At first, he couldn't make out what was under the net. Then, when it stopped struggling for a moment, he saw what it was, and was furious over what these people were doing-an Arcanine and her Growlithe pups were trapped, which meant that these men were poachers.

 _I'm not going to stand for this!_ He thought furiously. Rage coursed through his body and he waited for just the right moment to pounce from his hiding place and strike them down. He didn't have to wait long…

"Hey, Jorge-why don't we go and celebrate after we wrap this catch up at-" one of the men started to say to his friend.

There was a loud crack that echoed through the forest, and that man fell forward, eyes rolling to the back of his head, unconscious. Steven stood there, with a thick branch held in his hands, his eyes burning with rage. The other man turned and sent out two Pokémon-both were Machamp.

"Machamp!" he ordered. "Take that boy out, _now_!"

They both lunged at Steven, who dropped the branch he was holding, not out of fear, but of common sense. They grabbed his arms with two of their hands each and got ready to punch him with their remaining two.

 _Do you think he really cares about you?_ Steven asked them telepathically.

It was all it took for them to loosen their grip just enough-Steven did a back flip, bringing them with him. He ended up landing on his feet, but the Machamp were not so lucky, and landed on their faces, one knocked out cold, and the other really, really dizzy. Steven started in the man's direction, but the man raised his rifle and pulled the trigger. Steven dodged the tranq. dart, which hit the Machamp that wasn't knocked out, whom had been coming up behind Steven, and kicked the gun from the poacher's hand. The poacher yelped in pain, and stumbled backward, drawing his tranq. pistol from its holster. He was about to fire, when Steven spin-kicked that too from the man's hand. Before the poacher could withdraw any more weapons, Steven kicked him in the chest, sending him flying backward. The poacher smacked his head on a tree and slumped over, out cold.

Steven went over to the net and freed the trapped Pokémon, throwing the net over the Machamps instead. Then he turned to the Arcanine and bowed his head respectfully.

 _I'm sorry for the trouble these men caused you and your children._ Steven apologized telepathically. _I can assure you that they won't be bothering you anymore._

The Arcanine bowed her head back in thanks. _Thank you for your help._

 _It was nothing._ Steven replied. _They were trespassing on private property, and I personally hate poachers._

She nodded understandingly. _Still-there must be some way to repay you-_

 _I require no need for payment-saving you and your family from the poachers was enough._

 _I insist-here._ She said, nudging one of her Growlithe pups toward him. _Take him and raise him as your own._

 _I can't! I just can't take part of your family from you so that you can repay me!_

 _Then he shall die._ She said. _He is unable to take care of himself, and I_ will _leave him here, whether you take him or not._

The Growlithe pup looked up at him, oblivious to the conversation going on between his mother and me about his death. Steven sighed. _Dad's not going to like this._ I thought.

 _Okay-I'll take him._ He told her. She just nodded and turned away, all her pups following her, except the one she had given to him.

He sighed once more, then, looking down at his new partner, said "I guess you'll have to come home with me, then." Then he remembered what had just happened and went over to the nearest poacher and stripped him of his bag, wallet, weapons, and his phone, which he then used immediately to call the police. He told them a summary of what had just happened and sat down to wait for them to arrive.

His new friend, however, walked around, sniffing the ground. After watching him (Or was it _her_?) for a few minutes, he began to whistle a song. Before long, he had a small crowd of Starlys around him. When the song restarted, they joined in, filling the quiet forest with the sweet sound of music.

However, the singing was interrupted by the sound of sirens only a short while later. As he got up, he whistled to my new friend, and the crowd of Starlys flew off. His new friend came up to Steven and he bent down and pet his (he was sure it was a _he_ ) head softly.

"Stay close," he whispered to him.

"There you are Steven!" Officer Jenny exclaimed. "So these are the poachers?"

"Yes, ma'am," he replied.

"Rrrr…" the Growlithe whimpered, hiding behind his legs.

"And who is this?" Officer Jenny asked.

"My new friend," he said. "I just met him…"

A couple hours later, and he was headed back home again, along with his friend, leaves crackling underfoot on the dirt trail. It didn't take them long to reach his house-and that meant that he would be able to smuggle Growlithe inside before his dad got home from work. He lived with his mom and dad in a modest 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom house (which includes a living room, a dining room, a kitchen, and a laundry room). It was a small house, centered in a small clearing, just inside the forest. The entire forest was his family's property, but they left it alone, so as to preserve the forest as a nature preserve.


	2. Chapter 1 - Part 2

Chapter 1 - Part 2

Steven walked up to the house, taking his shoes off on the porch. Before entering the house, though, he picked Growlithe up and carried him inside to keep the floors clean. He took Growlithe to his bedroom upstairs and set him down, closing the door behind him. Then Steven took his oak-brown bag (which looks like a satchel), set it down next to his bedroom door, and sat down on the edge of his bed with a sigh of relief.

The first thing Growlithe did was sniff around. Steven laughed when he sneezed after sniffing under the bed. Then he got up and stretched, and picked Growlithe up.

"Rrr?" Growlithe barked, caught by surprise.

"I need to give you a bath to clean you up buddy," Steven said. "If you aren't clean, then my dad won't even _consider_ letting me keep you…and then I'd have to release you into the forest." _Where you'd probably die,_ he didn't add.

He opened his bedroom door and walked a short distance down the hall to the bathroom and opened the door. Once inside, he closed it and set Growlithe down so that he could turn on the water in the tub. While he was waiting for the tub to fill itself, Steven got shampoo, conditioner, multiple towels, and a hair brush out of his bathroom closet. When the tub was filled halfway with water, he grabbed the shampoo and conditioner and set them down beside the tub.

Then he picked Growlithe up and gently lowered him into the warm water. Growlithe seemed to visibly cringe when he went into the water, but, to Steven's surprise, didn't struggle with Steven to get out. Next, Steven got the shampoo and poured a generous amount into his hand. Then he gently rubbed it into Growlithe's fur, working the cleaning agent thoroughly through all of his friend's hairs to ensure a deep clean. He made sure to get Growlithe's entire body, especially his cream-colored tufts of fur.

Then, using water from the tub, Steven rinsed his friend off, using the hair brush to help him get all of the shampoo out and get rid of any snarls or snags that would be there after such a cleaning. Then he repeated the procedure with the conditioner.

The whole time, Growlithe didn't fight him or splash him with water, much to Steven's surprise and pleasure. When he was done washing him, Steven took him out of the tub and set him down on a floor towel, and, grabbing another towel, dried Growlithe off before he could shake himself dry and create a mess, although, at this point, Steven didn't expect him to do that, but better safe than sorry. Then he got the hair brush out again and brushed his friend's fur to straighten it out…

"NO! ABSOLUTELY NOT!" Steven's father shouted. "Get that THING out of this house right NOW!"

"Dear! You're being unreasonable!" Steven's mother exclaimed.

"No, mom," Steven said. "It's fine."

"No, it's not!" his mother shouted. "You're going to apologize to our son right now!"

With that, Steven got up from the table, his diner still at his place, uneaten, and picked Growlithe up from where he sat on the floor and headed for the front door. He picked up his bag, which he had moved earlier to the front door, and was about to leave when he heard the phone ring. He paused, hearing someone get up from the table and pick up the phone.

"Hello, you have reached the Barns residence. This is Mrs. Barns-how may I help you? You WHAT?! Okay, he's on his way." He heard the phone slam down again. "Steven-I don't know what you did, but the cops called saying that you needed to go to the police station immediately! What's going-"

That was all he heard, because he was already racing off, Growlithe still cradled in his arms, headed for the police station at top speed.

"Here you are, Steven," Officer Jenny said, handing him the two poachers' bags, wallets (minus the poachers' I.D.s), cell phones, and tranq. weapons. "You can keep these. You caught them, on your own property, nonetheless, so their property is now yours to keep."

"Thank you, Officer Jenny," Steven said, setting Growlithe down to take possession of all the objects Jenny was offering. "Have a good day!" Then, new property in hand, he left the police station and headed back for the forest, Growlithe following him, hurrying to get there before it got dark, since the sun was setting quickly behind him.

Once he made it to the forest's edge, he broke from the path, and, with leaves crackling underfoot, headed deep into the forest, navigating it with skill and ease. For Steven, it was home away from home. When he was younger, if he wasn't at school, or helping his parents, he was out exploring the forest, searching every nook and cranny, memorizing the locations of every rock, bush, and tree, and having fun with the forest Pokémon. Now, as he wove his way through the forest, Growlithe close behind, his footsteps had hardly a pause at all to them at any point in time.

Steven slowed as he approached a natural rock formation sticking out of a small hill. He worked his way around the formation to a spot where vines and moss hung freely. He split and held apart the plants and entered a dark cavern, which had been hidden by the plants. Growlithe followed Steven closely as he entered the cavern as well.

Steven set his newly acquired property down and knelt down in front of a wooden chest. He gently opened the lid and withdrew two blankets, an oil-powered lamp, and some containers of dried food. He lit the lamp, setting it in the center of the cavern. Darkness had fallen outside while he was doing this, and he laid one of the blankets down on the floor and beckoned to Growlithe to lay down on it.


	3. Chapter 1 - Part 3

Chapter 1 – Part 3

Growlithe came over and gratefully did just that, tired from the run from the police station. He began to curl up, but suddenly smelled something… _tasty._ He opened his eyes to see Steven offering him a strip of jerky. Steven set it down in front of him and looked inside the container. While Steven was doing that, Growlithe hungrily gobbled up the piece of jerky. Steven looked back over, and seeing the jerky strip missing, presumably eaten by his friend, took three more strips out of the container and set them down in front of Growlithe.

Then he sealed and put away the container back into the wooden chest. As Growlithe began to dig into his meal, Steven turned his attention to the ex-poachers' ex-belongings. Steven opened one bag and dumped the contents. He began to inspect and organize the contents, sorting them by size, quantity, and purpose. He also emptied the wallets and counted all the cash, double and triple checking everything. He came up with a list that goes as follows:

4 water canteens (full)

5 throwing nets

2 pairs of binoculars

8 sets of extra tranq. pistol ammo, pre-loaded in clips (each)

16 sets of extra tranq. rifle ammo, pre-loaded in clips (each)

2 ropes (25 meters each)

2 pocket knives

2 multi-purpose knives

2 tranq. pistols (each pre-loaded with 1 clip)

2 tranq. rifles (each pre-loaded with 1 clip)

And 5 small, black plastic containers of unknown contents.

He then put these items back into their bags, now better organized to make for faster access to any needed item. He closed the bags and set them aside. Then he moved so that he was sitting next to Growlithe, who had closed his eyes, and listened to the sounds of the night-time forest. After a while, Steven moved over to the lamp and blew it out. Then, after letting his eyes adjust to the darkness, he crawled over to the chest and gently placed the lamp in it.

Then he moved back over to Growlithe and laid the blanket across his friend. Growlithe growled quietly in his sleep and curled under it. Steven smiled in the darkness at this sad scene. He wondered what kind of god would allow for such an innocent creature to die because someone else had a problem with it.

With that, Steven joined his friend, and laid down on the cavern floor, balling himself up around Growlithe to keep his friend warm on that cold, autumn night. He soon fell into a deep, blissful sleep…

"Growlithe-Growlithe buddy," Steven said softly, gently nudging his friend to wake him. "Come on buddy-it's time to wake up."

"Rrr…" Growlithe murmured, curling up into a ball of fluff. Steven smiled happily.

"Growlithe-sleep time's over buddy. It's time to get up," Steven said, nudging a little harder now.

"Rrrraahhh…" Growlithe yawned, getting up and stretching.

"Good," Steven said. "Now that you're up, we need to go into the city to get a few things before breakfast." Growlithe looked up at Steven innocently. "Ready?" Growlithe just looked up at him expectantly. "Good. Let's get going."

Steven led the way out of the cave and the way back out of the forest onto the path. Steven kept up a brisk pace, breathing in the cool, crisp early morning air, heart filled with joy. Growlithe tried to keep up, but had to stop multiple times to catch his breath, forcing Steven to slow down, or, a few times, stop and go back for his friend.

 _You not up to running?_ Steven finally asked telepathically, having to stop for his friend for the 6th time. Growlithe looked all around confused, as if trying to find the source of the voice. _It's me, silly._ Steven said. Growlithe finally put two and two together, and looked up at Steven. _Are you unable to run?_ Steven asked again. Growlithe just tilted his head to the side, confused on how to reply.

 _Just think what you want to say,_ Steven instructed. _If I've met eyes with you, I can speak telepathically to you, and vice-versa, at will._

 _Like this?_ Steven heard Growlithe reply.

 _Yes!_ Steven answered. _Perfect!_

 _No, I can't run very well, or for very long,_ Growlithe said. _I'm sorry, master._ Steven winced.

 _Don't be sorry!_ Steven exclaimed. _And please don't call me_ master.

 _Sorry. What should I call you mas- I mean_ sir?

 _Call me Steven,_ he said. _And I'm not upset that you can't run well-it just means that I'll have to condition you so that you will be able to do so when we start our journey in seven days. For now, though, I'll just slow down so that you can keep up._

 _Okay, Steven,_ Growlithe replied.

They continued their trip to the city, this time, at a slower pace. They traveled in silence, listening to the sounds of the day-world waking up, the morning sun warming their backs. They reached the city a short while later, and Steven led the way to a convenience store. They entered the store and Steven waved to the owner, who was behind the counter.

"How are you doing Mr. Jones?" Steven asked.

"Good!" he replied jollily. "And you?"

"Fine! Just fine!" Steven answered. "Just here for a few things."

Mr. Jones nodded, and Steven led the way to one of the isles. Steven grabbed about ten bags of jerky, and then turned to go to the checkout. He set the bags down on the counter and took one of his new wallets out of his pocket and started counting cash to give to Mr. Jones to pay for the jerky.

They left soon thereafter, headed for the cavern again…


	4. Chapter 1 - Part 4

Chapter 1 – Part 4

After having a breakfast of jerky with Growlithe, Steven left his friend to get some much-needed rest in the cavern while he went to take care of a few things. Heading in the direction of the house, Steven wondered if he would even be able to actually go on a journey with Growlithe-he really, really wanted to beat all of the gyms and face the Elite Four! The crackling of leaves underfoot broke the otherwise quiet forest sounds as he pondered on this. He suddenly broke from the forest onto the trail. Across from him was his parents' house.

He walked up to the porch, and after taking off his shoes, opened the front door silently and entered. He walked over to his parents' room and knocked quietly. The door burst open and his father stood there, glaring at him.

"What do you want?" he snarled.

"I wanted to apologize for what happened yesterday," Steven said politely, keeping himself calm. "I know I did something wrong-"

"'Did something wrong'?" his father mocked, interrupting Steven. "That, son, is a _major_ understatement. Now you're going to-"

"-but I want to apologize for having broken our one rule," Steven said steadily, continuing like his father hadn't interrupted him. "I know that you hate Pokémon, and that you tolerate me being around them as long as I don't bring any into the house-I know that that had been our one and only rule, and I know that I broke it, so I want to apologize for having brought one into the house, having broken our one rule, and I want to promise you that I won't do it again."

His father was speechless. He stared at his son with an expression of shock, surprise, and disgust all rolled into one on his face.

"And-?" his father said, breaking the silence.

"And I want to know how to make it up to you," Steven answered. "Is there anything I can do for you to make it up to you, dad? Besides not breaking it again, I mean."

His father was silent for a moment. Then-"I'll see if there's anything that you can do for me," his father replied. "-Later," he added.

Steven nodded respectfully, and turned and left the house after grabbing a jacket, and headed for the cavern again…

When he got back to the cavern, he woke Growlithe from his nap.

"Come on, buddy," Steven said. "It's time I start conditioning you to be able to travel quickly. That way we can go long distances without having to stop often."

 _Okay Steven_ , Growlithe replied telepathically, getting up and stretching. _I'm ready_.

 _Good_ , Steven said telepathically back.

They exited the cavern and Steven led Growlithe to a decently-sized clearing in the forest. Steven pulled a small strip of red cloth (about 20 cm in length) from his pocket and showed it to his friend.

"We're going to play a game to help build up your speed and endurance," Steven said. "I'm going to slip this cloth through one of my belt-loops on the back of my pants. The goal of this game is for you to take the cloth from me - kind of like a game of tag and capture the flag combined. Got it?"

Growlithe nodded. For the rest of the day, they trained, stopping only a few times. Then, when it got dark out, they went into the cavern and, after Steven gave Growlithe some jerky for diner, they went to sleep together.

The next morning, as Steven led the way to the city, Growlithe was able to keep up a much better pace, thanks to the training the day before. But, instead of going to the convenience store, Steven led his friend to the Pokémon center. He entered, and Growlithe followed.

"Hey Nurse Joy!" Steven called happily.

"Hello Steven," she said, turning to face him with a smile on her face. "What can I do for you?"

"Can I ask you for a favor?" Steven asked.

"Sure," she replied. "What is it?"

"Can I have you watch over Growlithe while I'm at school?" he asked.

"No problem!" she answered.

"You behave now," Steven said, turning to Growlithe. Growlithe barked softly and licked Steven's face as he bent down to say goodbye. Steven laughed.

Then he got up and left for school…


	5. Chapter 1 - Part 5

Chapter 1 – Part 5

Five days later…

"Okay, thanks again for watching over Growlithe for me, Nurse Joy!" Steven called, waving goodbye.

"No problem!" she called back. "And good luck on your journey!"

Steven turned and left, Growlithe close behind.

"We need to go to the cavern before we leave so that I can grab a few things for our journey," Steven told Growlithe. "Okay buddy?" His friend barked happily in reply.

They headed in the direction of the forest, making it to the cavern in record time. Once inside, Steven went to the back of the cavern, grabbed one of his new bags, set it aside, and opened the other up, dumping its contents. Taking its contents, he opened the other bag and put them away neatly in that bag. Then he thrust a few bags of jerky into his regular bag and closed up the new one, putting it on his back.

"Ready to go?" Steven asked his friend. Growlithe wagged his tail in reply, barking twice. "Okay, get ready world – we're on our way!"

They ran, headed off in the opposite direction they had come, their journey at its official start.


	6. Chapter 2 - Part 1

Chapter 2

Part 1

"Jubilife City, huh?" Steven commented to his friend, Growlithe as the early afternoon sun warmed their backs. "Well- it's certainly different, isn't it buddy?"

 _Yes,_ Growlithe replied telepathically. _It certainly is…_

They had just arrived a couple minutes ago, and had already started wandering the city, hunting for all of its wonders, courtesy of a Sinnoh region map Steven had received from Officer Jenny, back in Eterna City. Now, after a long week of having been on the move, stopping when it got dark, and for one day at Floroma City when they had arrived there, they had finally made it to Jubilife City. Now…

"Let's go get something to eat," Steven said to his friend. "I'd like to eat something other than jerky for a change."

"Ruff, ruff," Growlithe barked in agreement.

They headed off in search of a restraint or diner to get something to eat. They found a suitable diner not too much later. They went inside, and a waitress showed them to a small, round table. She handed Steven a menu and walked off to take care of the other customers while he decided what he was going to order.

"What can I get you sonny?" she asked when she came back.

"Can I get a House Burger for myself, and a burger patty for my friend here, please?" Steven asked.

"Sure thing sonny!" she replied. "It'll be right out!" She walked off to give the order to the chef.

"Thank you," Steven called after her.

She was back soon thereafter, carrying a plate with a burger and a grilled burger patty in one hand, and a glass of water.

"Here you go honey," she said, setting the food down in front of him.

"Thank you," Steven said.

"Oh, you're welcome," she said, turning with a smile to go take care of the other customers.

Steven turned to his food and was about to dig in when he remembered his friend. He took the extra burger patty, which had come with an extra, smaller, plate, and set it down on the floor next to his chair for Growlithe. He watched for a moment as his friend began to dig into his meal. Then he turned to his own meal and began to eat. The burger was slightly greasy and a little too salty, but not as bad as some he had had before while he had traveled with his family. All in all, it was not that bad, though.

When he had finished eating, he waited for the waitress to bring the check. When she did, which didn't take long, he read through it, took his wallet out and removed the $20 that it cost to pay for the meal, and, after further thought, left an extra $20 as a tip. Then he got up and left, with Growlithe following closely.

He had hardly left when he heard voices shouting from nearby. He turned in the direction he heard the voices coming from and headed that way. He slowed as he approached the diner's side alley, where he heard the voices growing louder. He peeked his head around the corner cautiously to see what was happening.

There were four men and a boy about Steven's age, though a little younger. One of the men was holding the boy in the air by his collar in one hand, and a shining metal backpack in the other. The other three men stood behind and off to the side of the one holding the boy. They had their backs mostly to him, and he slid silently along the alley wall, hiding behind a dumpster. Then he squatted down and listened to their conversation.

"-What's in the bag?" the man, whom Steven designated as 'One' in his mind, asked the boy.

"Nothing!" he squeaked, struggling to get out of One's grip.

"Well then – there won't be any issues with you opening this bag up for us, will there?" One sneered.

"I already told you – there's nothing in there!" the boy cried. "Why won't you let me go?"

"We'll let you go – as soon as you open this bag for us," One answered. The other men laughed hysterically as the boy burst into tears and began to sob.

Steven had had enough – he drew his pistol, checked to make sure it was loaded, and flicked the safety off with his thumb. Then he stood up and walked from behind the dumpster.

"Let the kid go!" Steven shouted, gun raised to eye level.


	7. Chapter 2 - Part 2

Chapter 2 – Part 2

The three men looked over at him, and then began to laugh even harder. Steven shot the closest one. The others stopped laughing instantly as their comrade fell to the ground, unconscious, with a dart sticking out of neck. They looked down at their friend, up at Steven, back at their friend, and then finally back up at Steven.

"Take care of that kid – I'll take care of this one," One ordered the other men.

The remaining two men adopted street-fighting stances and slowly advanced toward Steven. He never gave them a chance – they fell to the ground unconscious, darts sticking out of their necks. He raised his gun to point at One, but he moved the boy in front of him, as a shield. Steven advanced toward him, but he just backed up. Steven kept pressing forward, though, until One finally couldn't back up anymore – he had backed into a wall, with nowhere to run or hide.

"Don't get any closer!" One shouted. "Or else, the kid gets hurt."

"No you won't," Steven replied calmly, ten feet away.

"And why's that?" One sneered.

"Because –" Steven answered.

In a split second, Steven holstered his pistol and rushed forward. He slid on his butt across the ground for the last few feet and kicked One from underneath, in the groin. One gasped. In his surprise and pain, he dropped both the boy and the bag, clutching where Steven had just kicked him. Steven swiftly twisted onto his side and swing-kicked One in his right knee, on the inner-facing part of the leg. Steven heard the _snap-crack_ of bones breaking and quickly rolled out of harm's way as One came crashing down where Steven had been less than a second before.

"–you never had a chance to begin with," Steven finished, getting back onto his feet.

He walked over to the boy and reached out, offering his hand to help him up. The boy took his hand and Steven started pulling him up, but the boy cried out and let go of Steven's hand, falling on his butt.

"Are you okay?" Steven asked. The boy shook his head, tears pouring down his face.

"What is it?"

The boy pointed to his left ankle. Steven crouched down and gently rolled up his pant leg. He softly stroked the area, causing the boy to flinch. The area was warm to the touch, red, and obviously swelling. _It's either sprained or broken,_ Steven thought. He reached into his bag and withdrew an emergency medical package and a couple of splints. Steven quickly applied his minimal first-aid knowledge. The boy soon had a splint for his ankle, and Steven then helped him onto his feet.

After picking up the boy's metal bag and slinging it across his back, Steven helped the boy walk out of the alley, supporting him by wrapping his right arm around the boy. When they finally made it out, Steven called Growlithe to him, and together, they made their way slowly to the city's human hospital. When they got there, Steven took the boy immediately to the urgent care center inside.

As he waited for someone to tell him the results, Steven took his bag off and opened it. He removed one of the mysterious cases and hesitated on opening it. It was probably more poacher-junk that was going to be practically useless to him. He steeled himself, though, and opened it. It was like nothing he thought it would be.

Inside were four premium quality fire-stones, valued at some $50,000 each. They shined with a fiery-red glow that came from inside the stones themselves. He stared at them for some time, then closed that case and put it back, withdrawing another. The contents were exactly the same. Steven checked another, and another, each time with the same results. He put the containers away and closed his bag, pondering what the poachers were doing with them.

About two hours later, and Steven was allowed to visit the boy. The doctors had finally finished their work, and had determined that it was indeed broken. As he pushed the privacy curtain aside to enter, Growlithe following closely, the boy looked up from a book that he had cradled in his arms.

"Hi," Steven said as he approached.

"Hello," the boy smiled.

"You're looking better," Steven said. The boy nodded. "You like reading?" he asked, gesturing to the book.

"Yes," the boy replied. "It's the only thing I really have that I enjoy doing."

"That's good," Steven said. "I do need to ask though – what is your name?"

"Evan," Evan answered.

"That's a wonderful name!" Steven grinned. "Do you have any family that may be worried about you?"

"Yes – my father," Evan sighed. "He works in the mines of Oreburgh City. He is going to be so worried – oh, how will I explain this to him?"

"Is there a problem?"

"Yes – not only did I fail to deliver the tools and supplies because of this –"

"You mean this?" Steven asked holding up the metal backpack.

"Yes!" Evan exclaimed. "Oh my gosh! How can I thank you?"

"Get better, and don't get hurt again, that's how!" They laughed for a little while at that. Then – "You had another problem you were going to mention?" Steven asked.

"Yes – my father is going to be so worried about how we are going to be able to pay the hospital bill –"

Steven produced one of the cases and removed one of the fire stones.

"Here – this should suffice," Steven said. He handed it to Evan. Evan stared at it for a long while before looking up at Steven, wide-eyed, as he realized what it was. Evan began trying to put it back in Steven's hand, a worried look on his face, but Steven shook his head, laughing.

"No," Steven said. "Keep it. It's yours. I have more." Evan stopped trying to give it back, now looking deeply at it instead. "That should be enough to pay the hospital for their services, and maybe even have some money left over for you and your father." Evan looked up at Steven.

"I really shouldn't, but I want to ask you one last favor," he said to Steven.

"It would be my honor," Steven replied. "Just tell me what I need to do."

"Can you take my bag to my father and the other miners in Oreburgh?" he asked.

"Sure!" Steven answered. "Anything else I should know or take?"

"Here," Evan said, taking a necklace off. He handed it to Steven. "Show this to my father – he'll know that I sent you and that you're one of us."

"Okay," Steven said, tying the necklace around his neck so he wouldn't lose it. "Anything you want me to tell him?"

"Just that I'm doing alright here in the hospital now," Evan said.

"Got it – I'll make sure to mention that when I see him."

"Thank you," Evan whispered, lying back down.

"Don't mention it," Steven whispered back, exiting the room.

He made his way out of the hospital and headed for the nearest bus stop…


	8. Chapter 2 - Part 3

Chapter 2 – Part 3

He caught the first bus headed east and was the only person still awake on the bus, besides the driver, halfway to Oreburgh City. The sun had already set, and only the faintest orange glows of sunlight remained. Growlithe lay in his lap, sleeping soundly as Steven stroked his fur softly. He was tired, but adrenaline kept him up. He pondered on what the poachers had been doing with the fire-stones. _What could they have been up to?_ He wondered.

He closed his eyes, and although he was unable to fall asleep, it helped lift the sleepiness a little bit. A few hours later, and the bus had arrived, and the driver got up and gently awoke everyone who was asleep. As Steven got off the bus, he glanced around. To his right was the Pokémon Center. To his left were the mines the city was notorious for.

He glanced at his watch decided that since he was already up, he might as well finish the job he had set out to do. He walked in the direction of the mines, carrying a sleepy Growlithe in his arms. As he neared the mine, he noticed that the entrance was guarded by two men in strange uniforms. He approached cautiously, but, luckily, wasn't challenged, and Steven just walked right between them, strait into the mine.

He stopped only a few feet in. He stood in the center of a four-way tunnel split. Steven looked left, then right, but couldn't see anyone. He strained his ears for the sounds of human life. He thought he heard a metallic screech off to his right, and headed in that direction. After what seemed like an eternity, he came to the end of that tunnel, which ended in a 'T' shape, and peeked around the corner.

To his right was a tunnel that ended something like seventy feet away, and to his left, less than twenty feet away, was a steel cage elevator. He heard voices to his right and saw indents about three feet across in the walls, spread about ten feet apart from each other. He saw light coming from one of the indents on the left side of the passageway and headed in that direction.

He came upon a room lined with tables and benches. Sitting at those tables were about a dozen miners. They were laughing and chatting and eating what looked like dinner. One of the miners noticed Steven standing in the doorway and looked over at him, causing the heads of the other miners to turn toward him. He was caught between the gazes of a dozen miners, with nowhere to go now.

"Hey, kid!" the miner whom had noticed him first called. "You lost?"

"I don't know – does anyone here have a son named Evan?" Steven asked.

One of the miners stood up and walked over to Steven, stopping three feet away. "I do," he said quietly.

Steven took the necklace off from around his neck and handed it to the miner. He took it gently, staring at it for a moment. Then he embraced Steven in a crushing, but grateful, hug. Steven gasped in surprise, and Growlithe let out an "ARF!" of indignation at being awoken and squeezed between the two humans. He stopped squeezing Steven when he heard Growlithe's yelp.

When Steven looked up at the miner's face, it had tears streaming his cheeks and his expression was one of joy and sorrow all in one. He put his hands on Steven's shoulders instead, and whispered "Thank you." Then Steven was guided to one of the benches, where he gratefully sat down. The miners all gathered around, abandoning their meals where they were, some sitting on the benches next to and across from Steven, and some just standing nearby. The miner who had personally greeted Steven now sat down directly across from him.

"I have the bag with me–" Steven began, breaking the silence that had come over everyone.

"Thank you for bringing it," the crying miner replied, "-but, perhaps you might tell us the whole story first."

"I'm not normally one to complain, but this bag really is heavy, and it's cutting into my shoulders," Steven said politely.

"Oh!" he exclaimed. "Of course – I'm sorry! Let's take care of that first!"

The miners helped Steven get the heavy metal backpack off his back. It fell to the floor with a _thump_! Steven rubbed his sore shoulders in relief.

"Please-" the miner pleaded, "-tell me everything! I want to know the whole story – nothing withheld!"

And so Steven proceeded to tell his version of the fight in the alley. The miners listened silently, their rage building as Steven described what the men had been doing to Evan, then subsiding as he explained how he took all four of them down. When he finished, the whole room was so quiet that a pen hitting the floor would have sounded like a gunshot.

"Thank you," the miner across from Steven whispered, tears pouring down his face.

"You're welcome," Steven replied, resting his hand on the other miner's shoulder in reassurance. "It was – is my pleasure to help Evan out."

"Is there some way I can repay the debt I owe you?" he asked Steven.

"There's no need," Steven replied, shaking his head with a smile.

"No – I insist!" he commanded.

Steven glanced down at Growlithe's sleeping form, thinking hard. Then-

"All I ask for is a place that I can lay down – a space on the floor that I can rest undisturbed," Steven answered.

The miner laughed, and the others joined in. Steven was surprised at their friendliness.

"That will be simple," he replied, once he stopped laughing. "Don't you want anything else?"

"No," Steven replied, shaking his head. "Just that. I don't need anything else."

"Okay," the miner replied. "Let me take you to a room then."

They got up from the bench and Steven followed Evan's father down the hall. He watched as the joyful miner opened a door set in one of the indents and walked inside. Steven followed and looked around as Evan's father flicked a switch which turned on the lights. It turned out to be a room with a bunk-bed on the right, and a dresser and sink on the left. The beds looked dusty and unused, but otherwise clean. He turned his head to face his host, and nodded his thanks, which received a similar reply.

"If you need anything, I'll be in the room across the hall," the miner told him.

"I think I'll be fine," Steven replied, shaking his head.

"Just give a shout if you do," Evan's father replied. With that, he turned and left the room, closing the door behind him, leaving Steven alone with Growlithe.


	9. Chapter 2 - Part 4

Chapter 2 – Part 4

After setting Growlithe down on the top bunk to sleep, Steven got out three of the cases of fire-stones and spread them out on the floor. He removed the stones and searched through his bag for something to wrap them in. He found some old empty gum wrappers that he saved for various reasons, and decided to use those as wrappers.

He spent the next twenty minutes wrapping each stone individually, taking care not to let any part of the stones show through cracks in the wrappers. When he finished, he hid the wrapped stones under the bunk, then walked over to the light switch and turned the lights off. He made his way carefully back to the bunk, then laid down on the bottom one. He lay there in the darkness, eyes open, taking a moment to reflect on the events of the day.

After a few minutes, he closed his eyes, mentally setting an alarm to wake himself, quickly falling into a deep sleep.

Eight hours later, Steven woke up. He got up from the bunk and reached under it, pulling out the wrapped stones. Then he silently left the room and crossed the hall. He opened the door to the bedroom across the hall quietly and slipped inside. He set two of the stones down on the dresser, then slipped back outside, moving on to the next one. He repeated this five more times.

Luckily, none of the miners had woken up, as far as Steven could tell. When he was done, he went back to his borrowed room and woke Growlithe up. He grabbed his bag as Growlithe yawned and stretched on the floor, still a little tired. Then Steven led the way back out of the tunnels. The guards who had been guarding the tunnel entrance weren't there as the pair exited – in fact, there were no guards at all at the entrance.

The first glimmers of pre-dawn sunlight were only just beginning to show as they made their way. Steven took the lead, heading southwest over the forested hills, in the direction he knew Sandgem Town to be in. He had a meeting to keep, and he intended to keep it. Growlithe kept pace, easily keeping up, despite his sleepiness. Steven noticed this, and smiled, realizing that all the training had paid off.

The nocturnal creatures were returning home for the day, and their sounds were gradually being replaced by the sounds of the early morning ones waking up for another day. Everything was peaceful, putting Steven at ease. He thought of all the Pokémon he might cross paths with through the forest, and if he could spend some time in a natural cave, exploring, and-

 _Fwoomp-thuck!_

Steven stopped dead in his tracks, and Growlithe, who had been right beside him, stopped too. Sticking out of a tree only six inches from Steven's right was a dart – a tranquilizer dart. Steven took all this in in a split second, and tucked into a roll, grabbing Growlithe in the process, just as another dart appeared in the ground to the right of where he had been.

 _They're here for Growlithe!_ he thought. _Well, they're not getting him, whoever they are._

Steven ran as fast as he could, Growlithe tucked close to his chest, ducking and dodging, trying in general to be unpredictable. He heard darts hitting the ground and trees around him as he ran. He didn't head in any particular direction, just away from where the darts were hitting behind him. He did, however mentally mark landmarks to help him make his way back if he ever got the chance-

Suddenly, as he dashed through some ground foliage, he fell strait down. Where he had thought there to be ground was a ten foot wide hole in the ground, which he was currently falling into. He quickly curled into a ball around Growlithe, twisting his body in midair so that Growlithe wouldn't be crushed under him when they hit the bottom.

It was only a ten foot fall.

When they hit, it was on Steven's back. They rolled on the sloped gravel bottom of the pit for a little, shedding their extra momentum. When they finally came to a stop, Steven lay still on his back, scraped, cut, bruised, and in pain, Growlithe tucked in closely. It was too much, even for him – everything went black as he slipped into unconsciousness.

He was four years old again, standing in front of his sensei. He could see himself – it was like he was a stranger watching himself from their perspective. He (four year old Steven) bowed to his sensei as he walked onto the dojo floor. Then Steven watched as he grew older, the belt around his waist changing like it was an undecided rainbow, until he saw it finally reach black and stay that color. He was eight years old now.

He watched as four other black-belts, all at least four years older than him, and much larger, surrounded him on his sensei's order. Then they each attacked him all at once and he defended himself in turn. Steven watched as he took one down with a side-kick to the gut as the black-belt leapt at him, then knocked another out with a round-kick to the side of the head. He moved on to finish the other two, but suddenly the room began to spin and everything warped and blended together, fading into darkness again.

This time he was in his house, watching himself chat with his mother about his day at pre-school. He was three years old. He watched as his mom opened the back door and helped him down the steps into the backyard. Steven followed as he walked into the modest clearing that was their backyard. After sitting down for a little bit, Pokémon came out from the forest to play. At first, Steven didn't notice anything special, but he finally saw that the Pokémon playing with his younger self were working together in a highly organized and highly unusual way.

Then he realized – this was the time his parents first found out about his telepathic abilities. This was the reason his parents started sending him to the martial arts classes, and why they always seemed a little cold around him – all because of his telepathic abilities. They must have been terrified, Steven realized, terrified of what people would think of him and his powers, and of what people would do obtain his powers for themselves.

The whole world began to swirl again, and Steven faded back into the black depths of dreamless sleep…


	10. Chapter 3 - Part 1

Chapter 3 – Part 1

When Steven woke up, everything was black, so he didn't realize that he was awake. When he finally did realize it, though, he reached for his bag. His hand brushed over the leather strap. Luckily, it was still with him.

He opened it and located his box of matches from memory. Tearing them out of his bag, he opened the box and withdrew three matches. He put the box back after closing it, pocketed two of the matches, and lit the third. He squinted his eyes in the sudden light.

When his eyes finally adjusted to the light, he glanced around at his surroundings. He was in some sort of cave, but he immediately recognized one thing – bones. Human skeletons, partial and whole, lay scattered around and beneath him. Hollow skulls with pitch-black sockets grinned at him eerily in the match's yellow-orange glow.

Against every instinct to panic, Steven kept looking around at his surroundings. It took all his self-control to do it, but he was able to keep from panicking like most would have in his situation. He found three things besides the skeletons: a leather satchel, an unused torch, and a full set of (European) medieval armor, complete with a (European) shield and sword. But he knew one thing was missing – Growlithe.

After checking around him, Steven came to the conclusion that either someone or something must have taken his companion, or they had somehow gotten separated from each other after the fall. After a short debate on whether he should look for his friend, or seek out help first, Steven decided to search for his friend. After lighting the torch, slipping on the satchel, and (after a lot of inner debate) grabbing the shield and sword, he marked his location in the dirt with the sword's sheath, and headed in the direction he thought to be deeper into the cave.

After traveling only twenty feet away, he ran into a dead-end. He didn't give it a second thought, and turned back around, passing the skeletons quickly. Even he didn't want to spend much time by them, despite all his 'bravery.' The other side of the tunnel turned to the right only ten feet from the skeletons, and Steven turned the corner cautiously.

He instantly came across an immense cavern. A cavern filled with spider webs. On one of the webs was Growlithe, wrapped in a cocoon of the same stuff he was stuck to. Steven approached carefully, holding the torch in front of him, glancing into the shadows suspiciously. As he got closer, Steven noticed that Growlithe was either unconscious or–

 _No!_ He thought, shaking his head. _Not him!_

Suddenly, a pair of glowing red eyes appeared out of the shadows in front of him. He jumped back out of surprise.

 _Hissss!_ came the sound from behind him. _Hissss!_

Steven spun around and found himself face to face with a hoard of Spinarak – and they looked angry. Stumbling backward, he held the torch in front of him. He waved it around, holding them back, until he tripped over a rock and fell on his butt, dropping it. He crawled backward until he bumped into one of the cavern's walls.

He looked down at the ground, then shut his eyes, knowing that his fate was grim. He waited for the end. It seemed like forever. He found himself thinking about everything he had done wrong, and wishing he could change it, and thinking about what things would be like if he had done things differently. But the end never came.

 _So, human,_ came a rasping voice. _What do you think you're doing?_

Steven opened his eyes and looked up. The Spinarak were about ten feet away, in a semi-circle around him. Suddenly, an enormous Ariados came down from the ceiling. The Spinarak skittered out of its way, letting it pass through them. As it approached, Steven stood up with his back to the wall, right hand slipping down to his tranquilizer pistol, in case an opportunity presented itself.

The Ariados stopped five feet away from him, and the Spinarak closed the gap in their ranks behind it.

 _Answer me human!_ The Ariados' mandibles quivered. Steven realized that the Ariados was the one speaking. He met its eyes before replying.

 _Getting my friend back,_ he replied telepathically.

It started. _You speak in the language of the Ancient Ones?_ It asked.

Steven paused before replying. _Yes, I do._

 _Then you are the one prophesied to help us out,_ it said. _You will do as I say!_

 _No, I won't,_ Steven replied defiantly. _I'm going to get my friend and leave._

 _I don't think so,_ the Ariados rasped.

 _Hissss!_ The Spinarak agreed. _Hissss!_

 _Enough!_ The Ariados commanded. The Spinarak fell silent instantly. _Help us, and then we'll let you and your friend go, unharmed._

Steven wasn't thrilled with the idea of them using Growlithe as a hostage, but he couldn't see how he could fend off all these arachnids, _and_ save Growlithe. So, he decided he would have to do what they asked.

 _Fine,_ he subsided. _I'll do what you ask._

 _Good,_ the Ariados rasped quietly.

 _What is it you want me to do?_ Steven asked.

 _We need you to obtain a certain object for us,_ it told him. _You must journey into the Heart and retrieve it for us. When you do that, then we will let you and friend go._

 _Lead me there,_ Steven replied. The Ariados began to turn to lead him away, the Spinarak parting to let it and Steven pass through. _Wait!_ Steven said telepathically. The Ariados stopped and turned around. _I need my torch,_ he told it.

 _I don't think so,_ it replied.

 _Look,_ he exasperated. _If you want me to help you, I'll do it, but I need to be able to see – I don't have night-vision like you._

The Ariados paused. _Fine, but you will be accompanied by two of my warriors at all times,_ it conceded at last.

 _I understand,_ he answered.

 _Good,_ the Ariados rasped. The Spinarak parted to let Steven pass through to collect his torch. Luckily, it was still burning brightly. Then, with much curiosity and worry, Steven turned and followed the Ariados, accompanied by two Spinarak. They left the cave through the tunnel Steven had come…


	11. Chapter 3 - Part 2

Chapter 3 – Part 2

They passed the place with all the skeletons in silence, the light from Steven's torch shining strangely off the tunnel walls. They passed the suit of medieval armor, and Steven finally took a second to note that it had no dust or dirt on it, despite the fact that the Ariados and Spinarak had probably never touched it since it had been left there. When they made it to the dead-end, they stopped.

 _Here,_ the Ariados told him, pointing to the wall in front of them. _This is the_ Heart _._

 _This wall?_ Steven asked. _But it's a dead-end!_

 _Take a closer look,_ the Ariados instructed him.

Steven got closer and shined his torch over the wall, looking closely. He ran his hand across the wall and felt something, but it was covered by tree roots that had grown over it. Steven set his torch down on the ground and set one hand on the sword hilt at his waist.

 _Stand back,_ he told the three arachnids. _I'm going to try to cut these roots so that I can see what's on this wall._

The three arachnids skittered back out of the way as Steven drew the sword from its scabbard. It came out with a sharp _shhhhink!_ sound. The blade glinted and shined in the torchlight. Steven took a moment to study it.

The blade was about three and a half feet long, and was made of some sort of red metal. It had a red-metal cross-guard studded with glowing gems at each end, and on both sides. The hilt was about nine inches long, an inch and a half in diameter, and the pommel was shaped like fire, with a similar shape on the inner part of the pommel that was hollow. The grip was made of wrapped leather that seemed to have not even noticed the passage of time – it wasn't worn down in the slightest.

The blade wasn't even heavy – whatever it was made of, it was extremely lightweight. The durability, strength and sharpness of the blade still had yet to be determined, though. Steven brought it back and swung it like an axe. The blade sliced the roots like they were paper and made a metallic _clank!_ sound as it hit the stone wall behind them. The roots fell to the ground with a _thunk!_

Steven examined the blade and found it, to his surprise, unchanged. It wasn't even nicked! He then gently sheathed the blade and picked the torch up again. He held it close to the wall, taking a closer look - the wall had a symbol on it, and three strangely shaped indents. The symbol was a triangle with an elongated hexagon in each corner. Each hexagon was a different color; one was red, another blue, and the third was green.

"Strange," he muttered to himself.

 _What is it?_ The Ariados asked.

Steven was silent, thinking hard at what the symbols meant. _Red, green, blue…_ he thought to himself. _Wait! Those aren't just colors! They're Pokémon types! Red is fire, green is grass, and blue is water!_ He reached into his bag and withdrew one of the fire-stone containers. He opened it and took one of the stones out. He then pressed it into the indent on the wall in correspondence to its place in the triangle. There was a small flash of light as it went in.

Then he stopped, thinking hard on what to do next. His right hand fell to the bag slung at his side – then he looked down at the bag, really noticing it for the first time. It was relatively light, but Steven could feel some heavy stone-like objects at the bottom. He knelt down, setting the torch into the ground, and dumped the bag's contents. He scattered them across the floor and looked for the other two stones.

There they were – at the bottom of all the contents were water and grass stones, one of each. He grabbed them and placed them in their spots on the wall. There was a sudden flash of light and Steven held his arms up in front of his eyes to protect them. Suddenly, the light was gone, and when Steven looked up, the wall was no longer there – the tunnel continued on into darkness. Steven picked up the torch and walked on further into the tunnel, determined to save Growlithe…


	12. Chapter 3 - Part 3

Chapter 3 – Part 3

The tunnel ended quite suddenly at the edge of a slow-flowing river of orange-red glowing magma. Thirty feet away, on the other side of the river, the tunnel continued. Steven knew that it would be pointless, and stupid, to attempt to cross the river. He thought about trying to jump across, but he knew that even he couldn't make such a jump. He looked for a way around, seeing nothing.

 _It can be found on the other side,_ the Ariados rasped after a while.

 _I figured,_ Steven replied sarcastically. _How am I supposed to cross this? It's not like there's anything I can just–_

Suddenly, something started coming out of the magma in front of them. Steven and his captors stumbled backward, trying to avoid the emerging creature. Out from the magma came more of them, surrounded in a haze of heat and billowing black smoke, making it impossible to see them clearly. Steven drew his sword, holding it before him as he backed up with his captors, unsure of what to do. His captors began to hiss at the approaching figures.

"Stay back!" he shouted.

The figures stopped at the magma river's bank and stood there, waiting. Steven watched as the smoke and haze that had been obstructing his foe's bodies from sight began to clear away. As it did, Steven quickly took his shield from his back and slid his arm through its handles, holding it too in front of him in a defensive position.

 _Welcome challenger,_ a voice spoke. Steven looked around, trying to ascertain the voice's location. _Ahh-_ it continued. _I am right in front of you._

Steven looked straight ahead, still unable to see the figure clearly because the smoke and haze hadn't cleared completely yet, but he could vaguely make out some of its features. The smoke and haze finally cleared, and Steven saw standing before him a–

–Magmortar. At its sides were the toddler sized Magby that Steven expected to find around any volcanic area.

 _You have come to challenge us for the Shining One?_ The Magmortar spoke.

Steven looked back at his captors, then at the Magmortar, and finally back to his captors. He lowered his shield and sword and turned so that his sides were presented to both parties.

 _So_ this _is the reason you sent me to go retrieve your_ thing?! Steven asked his friend's captors. _Because you're weak and can't fight someone who's strong against you?!_

The Spinarak hissed, but the Ariados held up a leg and they fell silent.

 _Yes, that is the reason I sent you here,_ it rasped.

Steven was silent. _So what is this thing that you were sending me to get, and why?_

 _You were supposed to get the Shining One so that we could use him to get food,_ the Ariados answered. _But the Fire Clan before you stole it from us before…_

"Hold on!" Steven shouted out loud. "Just hold on a second!" He turned to face the Magmortar. "Do you understand me?" he asked. The Magmortar nodded. "Okay – let me get this straight – they want this 'Shining One' whom they supposedly had, back, and you are the ones whom took it from them. Is that correct?"

"Yes, it is so," the Magmortar spoke. Steven nodded.

"So you did take it from them, and have kept it ever since?" Steven asked.

The Magmortar hesitated before answering. "Yes," he breathed at last.

"Then, unless you had some very good reason to take it to begin with, you should give it back," Steven announced. The Magby behind their leader started getting restless, and began to advance towards Steven, just as he was about to speak, but the Magmortar held out his arm for them to stop. The Magmortar nodded for Steven to continue. "I don't say this because I'm taking sides with them, but because it is the right thing to do, and will help prevent further conflict."

The Magmortar nodded in agreement, and the Magby settled down from their ecstatic state. "Come," he said. "I will lead you there." He turned to go, but stopped when he looked back and saw Steven shaking his head. "Is there a problem?" he asked.

"Only the fact that I can't swim in magma," Steven replied.

"Oh," he replied. "Well, I can't help that."

Steven shook his head, trying to think of what to do.

"Wait!" the Ariados hissed. "The armor!"

Steven turned to face her (he was sure at this point that it was a she he was speaking to), and he shook his head. "How will that help me?"

"No," the Magmortar said. "She's right. You'll be able to pass through the lava safely in that armor."

"How do you know?" Steven queried.

"Because the person who wore it before did just that," the Magmortar answered.

Steven had a dozen more questions now, but set those thoughts aside and rushed back through the tunnel to where the armor lay. Now that he was going to use it, Steven took notice of some strange features of the armor. The armor's color was red, an unusual choice; the upper arm armor extended beyond the shoulders, upward, and ended in a curved spike; the helmet was built in the shape of an Arcanine's head; and the strangest thing was that it was just his size. Nevertheless, he put it on, under-armor first, although it took him a while to do so because he didn't have anyone to help him. When he was done, he stood up.

The armor was surprisingly light. Steven wiggled around a little bit to figure out how his movement was restricted, and was surprised to find that it was hardly restricted at all. He walked around, quickly growing used to the armor's weight. Then he double-checked all the straps. He still couldn't believe that this armor would actually protect him. Ready at last, he set off for the river of magma. The Magmortar and Ariados were conversing with each other when Steven got there, but cut off when they saw him.

"Follow me," the Magmortar said, entering the hot, glowing river of molten rock.

Steven mustered all his courage, and, taking in a deep breath, closed his eyes, then finally took a step into the river. He waited for his leg and foot to start to burn with excruciating pain–

–but it didn't. Steven opened his eyes and looked down at his leg. The magma flowed around his leg and foot as if a bubble existed around them. Eyes open this time, Steven took another step. The magma parted as his foot came down. Steven kept going deeper into the river, and the magma parted for the rest of his body, like it had for his legs. Around the middle of the river, it got so deep that the magma went over his head.

In that moment, Steven felt his first encounter with claustrophobia. All he could think of was how horrible his death would be if this 'bubble' around his armor burst. He nearly panicked, but some way, somehow, he pulled himself together and kept going on. Almost as quickly as he had gone completely submerged, he reemerged to the surface. He kept moving, and didn't stop until he reached the opposing bank.

There, he collapsed on his back across the obsidian carpet created by the cooling magma dripping off of the Magmortar and Magby. He lay there for a little while, catching his breath. After a while, he noticed someone standing over him. It was the Magmortar. He held out his hand to Steven, who took it gratefully. After getting up again, Steven followed the Magmortar deeper into the cave system, and deeper into potential danger…


End file.
